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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28532388">Prison cells</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Englishbunnyrocks/pseuds/Englishbunnyrocks'>Englishbunnyrocks</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Doctor Who (2005)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/F, Reunions</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-01-04</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-01-04</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-10 21:47:40</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>5,475</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28532388</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Englishbunnyrocks/pseuds/Englishbunnyrocks</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>The days in prison merge into each other and The Doctor fears she will be trapped there forever. That is, until she meets someone...</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Jack Harkness &amp; Rose Tyler, Thirteenth Doctor &amp; Jack Harkness, Thirteenth Doctor/Rose Tyler</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>18</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>105</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Prison cells</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>An alternative version of the "Revolution of the Daleks" because a casual mention of Rose just wasn't enough. And it's missing Rose Tyler hours.<br/>Enjoy!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The Doctor opened her eyes just in time to see the red hologram of the rising Sun appearing above her.</p><p>Exactly the same as every day. As it had been for the last ten months in this prison.</p><p>She sat up on her bed. Could it really be called that? It was a stone table, too uncomfortable to catch any rest, too small to even lay on it properly as her legs were hanging off the edge. She had a tiny orange pillow that was too hard to lay on for long and a matching blanket that was enough to cover her stomach.</p><p>Not that it helped much.</p><p>The Doctor stepped to the window to watch the nearby star. It was the only thing that lit up this dark pit of a cell. Looking out on the star, that was too big and shone too red to be the Sun, she could almost pretend to see that tiny little green and blue planet orbiting around it in the distance. The planet where she wanted to be the most. With people she missed very much.<br/>Seven thousand and one, that was the number of the offences they held against her. There was more, a lot more, she was sure of it but they stopped the counting at that. </p><p>The tiny windows of her cell opened but they did nothing to brighten the dimly lit space.</p><p>She stepped to grab the shard piece that she broke off near the window on the first day of her capture and drew another tally stick on the cell's wall.</p><p>Day 314.</p><p>The lights flickered again and her meal for the day appeared on the table-bed, in the exact same spot as it did every day.</p><p>She let out sigh.</p><p>It was a cube of concentrate made of the most essential nutritions. She grabbed the plate and its content and took a bite, hoping to find it somehow different this time. But it wasn’t. It was the same, tasteless, colourless and had a weird consistency that was between dry and mushy. It reminded her of pears.<br/>She <em> hated </em> pears.<br/>She frowned and threw the nightmare that could barely be called food back on the plate. She had enough big of a bite to avoid starving to death for another day.</p><p>The red hologram of a jumping stick man lit up, informing her it was time for the daily walk in the prison yard. She sighed again but got up and followed the red arrows’ direction. Not that she needed them, she already knew the route by heart.</p><p>“Morning camera thirty-seven. Morning camera thirty-eight” she greeted the security cameras one-by-one. If there was a camera, there must be someone behind it too. And it was only polite to say hello, right? </p><p>At the end of the corridor, she was greeted by an electrical fence that opened at her arrival. Without even waiting for the signals to instruct her, she stepped inside the small space. The gate closed behind her and the surrounding cells changed into their usual positions.<br/>She raised her eyes to the ceiling that she couldn’t see, only the vast darkness. This part of the day was that she hated the most.</p><p>It was like her own personal hell. </p><p>“Morning Angela” she stepped to the cell on her left and greeted the Weeping Angel. It was handcuffed, preventing it from escaping. It looked almost harmless like this, locked up and chained in a tiny little cell. But the Doctor made the mistake of blinking and suddenly, she found herself face-to-face with the horrible monster that was hiding behind the stone palms. She jumped back in surprise as the angel got shocked by the electrical fence and returned to its original position.<br/>No matter how many years, centuries, millenniums had passed, the fear of them never went away completely. She braced herself and turned to her other neighbours instead.</p><p>“Alright Bonnie and Clyde?” the Ood and Sycorax were shaking the fence separating her cell from theirs, not minding the electricity that was shocking their bodies with great force. There was no doubt what they would do to her if only they could tear the walls down. She shuddered at the thought and to chase away all the possibilities of how they could end her life, she turned to her next friendly neighbour. </p><p>“Tiny!” she greeted the Pting and squatted down to almost eye-level with the creature. The Pting hissed at her angrily in response “How many times? You can’t eat the cage, believe me, I tried!”<br/>The deadly little thing blinked at her with its almost cute, huge blue eyes before huffing in displeasure and turning away, giving up on its plan.</p><p>At the end of the day, following the same route, she went back to her cell. </p><p>She laid down on the table-bed just as the hologram instructed her that it was night time. As if she could sleep a blink. She turned on her left side, trying to find a tad bit more comfortable position on the cold stone - to no avail.</p><p>“Bedtime story, Doctor?” she asked herself before gasping in fake excitement “Yes, please, Doctor!” she thought for a moment, wondering what she was in the mood for that night, finding that she wanted something that could take her away from this hell. Something… magical. Harry Potter was it then. “One of the classics? Oh, yes, <em> please! </em> Settle down then.”</p><p>This was her favourite part of the day. Telling a story each night was the only thing that could give her some kind of entertainment, something that would keep her mind occupied. She hugged herself tighter for some comfort before starting. “Mr. and Mrs. Dursley of number four, Privet Drive, were proud to say that they were perfectly normal…”</p><p>Then she heard it.</p><p>
  <em>Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock. </em>
</p><p>There was a beat of silence.</p><p>“What?” she heard herself gasping. Did she hear it right? No, that was impossible. Or was it? Quickly, she shot up from her sleeping position and hurried to the wall that the noise had come from. Ten months! Ten months of useless attempts of escaping, of waiting for something to happen without any contact with the outside world. Or anyone, for that matter.</p><p>She kneeled down and answered with her own knocks. And waited.</p><p>Please, answer.</p><p>“Who’s there?”</p><p><em> Please! </em> </p><p>But she was met with silence. The Doctor felt her hearts sink in her chest, feeling hopeless once again. She almost thought… but it didn't matter. Whoever was on the other side of the wall, refused to talk to her again. That is, <em> if </em> there was anyone there to begin with. Could have she just imagined it? What if… what if she was already starting to lose her mind? She had been in this prison for ten months. How long would it take for them to finally break her? How long before she finally lost her sanity?</p><p>No. No, she couldn’t lose focus. </p><p>“Stay strong” she ordered herself, feeling her fist clenching with newly found determination. She had to go on and continue fighting. She couldn't give up. She had work to do. And more importantly “People are waiting for you.”</p><p>Yaz, Ryan and Graham, they all were probably worrying about her. Her amazing fam. </p><p>She was going to get out of there. Somehow.</p><p> </p><p>The next day was the same as the previous one. Day 315. Another tally mark completed.</p><p>She got up.</p><p>Looked at the nearby star.</p><p>Ate the same horribly tasting cube.</p><p>Walked down the corridor.</p><p>Greeted the security cameras.</p><p>Faced a few of her worst enemies.</p><p>She took a walk around her cell, this time starting from to the right to the left. Just for some variety. The same old faces were looking back at her.</p><p>“I forgot you were here” the Doctor greeted the Silence that was reaching with its right towards her. She was sure they had this conversation every day and she forgot it each time. </p><p>“You forgot this one too?” she heard a high, feminine voice call from behind her and felt herself freeze. It was a voice that she heard billions and billions of years ago but could recognise without a beat. A voice that lived in the deepest and furthest corner of her consciousness.</p><p>She slowly turned and couldn't believe her eyes. </p><p>“Rose” the Doctor whispered in disbelief.</p><p>She looked exactly the same but so much more beautiful than in any of her memories. She was standing in the next cell, near the fence. Her hair was the same shade of golden blonde that somehow seemed to glow even in the dimly lit cell, her eyes, those big, doe shaped hazel eyes that could pour so many emotions were almost glistening and her full, red lips were pulled in that painfully familiar half smile that she always wore when she was about to tease her. She was a vision to behold, even in the ugly red prison overall that she was wearing.</p><p>No. No, she couldn’t be there. That was impossible.</p><p>Within a fraction of a second, the Doctor's mind went through all the possible aliens that could shapeshift or had the ability of mind control. Even getting her under a dream was a possible option or really, anything that would explain what she was seeing. Because she couldn’t be here. She <em> wasn’t</em>.<br/>Or maybe, the Doctor thought, finally, she reached the point where she lost her sanity. Her mind reached its mental breaking point, the point where it was beyond repairable. That would explain it. Really, if that was the case, the Time Lord wasn’t surprised that Rose was the one her mind came up with to find some comfort in its lowest and darkest point.</p><p>“You’re staring” she heard the Rose look-alike comment, her lips pulled in a teasing smile but the playfulness didn’t quite reach her eyes. And she was right, the Doctor realized and quickly closed her gaping mouth. She took a tentative step closer and was hit by the faint scent of vanilla and something else that was so much like the pink and yellow human she almost halted. Rassilon, if this was a hallucination her mind did a bloody good job at it. </p><p>“Blimey, look at you! You look amazing” Rose spoke up as she looked over her and chuckled. Oh, how much she missed that sound “Ya stole my haircut though.”</p><p>The way this Rose talked, moved and her tongue stuck out from between her teeth was so much like the original one, the Doctor <em>almost</em> believed that it was her.</p><p>“Rose Tyler!” she heard herself gasp in spite of her inner conflict and skipped to the fence. </p><p>“Hello Doctor” how her name rolled off of Rose's tongue made her hearts speed up. It just sounded too perfect to be fake.</p><p>“How did you got here??” she needed to know. If she was under mind control or a hallucination, she would figure it out.</p><p>Rose shrugged nonchalantly “Someone wasn’t happy about Bad Wolf, ‘suppose. Looks like it was enough for me to end up in this alien collection.”</p><p>“What? Bad Wolf? Why would anyone do that? And how long have you been here??” the Doctor frowned. She had so many questions.</p><p>“No idea, really. 'N almost five years or so?” Rose answered without much thinking “Took me nine months and a friend’s help to get next to your cell, mind you.”</p><p>No, that wasn’t possible. That made no sense. But despite it sounding illogical and completely wrong, the Doctor couldn't fight the smiling pulling on her lips that this Rose Tyler was not a shapeshifting alien neither a product of mind control but the real Rose Tyler. </p><p>Suddenly, Rose started to search her pockets one after another with hurried movements.</p><p>“What are you doing?” The Doctor asked confused, her smile falling.</p><p>“Breaking us out, of course!” Rose said matter of factly before pulling a small, glowing blue orb out of one of her pockets and showed it to her “Didn’t come just to chat, ya know.”</p><p>“What’s that?” The Doctor was getting more and more confused about what was going on.</p><p>“Temporal-freezing gateway disinhibitor bubble” she said so quickly The Doctor almost couldn’t catch it “Though my friend, he calls it the ‘breakout ball’. Freezes time inside, gets through walls, ‘s perfect for a breakout. But doesn’t last long.”</p><p>“How long’s not long?” The Doctor asked worriedly, feeling the adrenaline rushing through her.</p><p>“Eleven seconds. Step back, Doctor” she warned as the Time Lord did as told “ ‘cause I’m gonna jump over to ya.”</p><p>In the next moment Rose squished the ball in her right hand and the thing materialised around her like a protective bubble before she jumped over the fence with shocking ease, right into The Doctor’s arms.</p><p>And oh, Rassilon, she was <em> real! </em> She was real and she was there, in her embrace. The Doctor felt so happy she almost let out a laugh of joy.</p><p>They gripped onto each other like their life depended on it. However the hug lasted for less than a second before Rose pulled away and took her hand firmly before shouting “Run!”</p><p>They broke through the bars and started running down the corridor at a crazy pace, Rose practically pulling The Doctor with so much force she almost tripped “We have to get to my cell, there’s my friend waiting for us! Left!” she instructed and turned around the corner.</p><p>“This friend of yours, is he trustworthy?” The Doctor panted. Time Lord biology or not, she didn’t have much physical activity for more than ten months.</p><p>“Oh, he is, but ya’d never admit it. Right!” Rose yanked her and The Doctor almost ran into the wall “There’s my cell, at the end of the corridor!”</p><p>“How much time have we left??”</p><p>“Err, about two seconds?! Come on!!<em>” </em></p><p>They sped up their pace and screamed as they ran right at the wall, breaking through it in the last second before the bubble dissipated around them. They collapsed on the floor as their legs gave out, trying to catch their breaths. </p><p>“Oh my God, we did it!” Rose exclaimed, almost not believing it.</p><p>“You did and mind you, you two are awfully loud” a warm male voice came from behind them and The Doctor spun around in surprise. Oh, of course, who else would it be?</p><p>“Jack!”</p><p>“I knew you’d look better in these colours than me” Jack said as he scanned her. He was wearing the same overal as she and Rose were. He took a step back and saluted “Hello Doctor. It’s nice to see you.”</p><p>“So it was you who arranged this whole breakout?” The Doctor asked, feeling a little guilty, remembering all the time she had let the man down in the past.</p><p>Jack shrugged as he kneeled and pulled out a leather sheath from under his living space’s floor “I heard a rumour that you were in here, so I committed a few crimes. Well, maybe a lot of crimes. Maybe more than I should have. Then I finally got in and met this little beauty here” he nodded towards Rose as he lifted the leather cover to reveal a vortex manipulator and the Doctor was sure she had never felt this grateful to see that horrible, cheap copy of a time machine in her life “Here we go. One secretly stashed vortex manipulator.”</p><p>And then, the sirens went off.</p><p>“Wondered how long’s that gonna take ‘em” Rose commented as she stepped forward and took The Doctor’s hand as Jack strapped the small device to his wrist “We need to go.”</p><p>“How did you manage to smuggle that in here?” The Doctor asked half amazed, half horrified as Jack set the coordinates.</p><p>“Ya really want him to answer that?” Rose commented with tease and The Doctor made a face as the possibilities dawned on her.</p><p>“Oh, I’ve missed you. Very much” Jack confessed with a big, fond smile before hugging the Doctor quickly. "Alright, ladies. Here we go!" he pressed the manipulator and they all disappeared.</p><p> </p><p>The jump wasn’t an easy ride but they held onto each other tightly. It took only a few seconds before the horrible pulling from all directions ended and suddenly they were in a dark, silent room. They collapsed on the floor, the Doctor taking the biggest hit.</p><p>“You need practice your jumping, Doctor” Jack joked as Rose helped the Time Lord to her feet.</p><p>“No need for cheap tricks. I have a time machine.”</p><p>Jack was about to retort to that but stopped as he glanced up. Next to him the Doctor took a slow step forward, not believing her eyes. </p><p>“We’re out” she said, suddenly feeling like crying as she was hit by an almost heartbreaking homesickness upon seeing the console room. Of course she missed the TARDIS, she knew it but she didn’t know just <em> how much </em> she missed her “I’m back.”</p><p>She ran up to the time rotor to caress it, half afraid that it would disappear from her sight again “My own TARDIS.”</p><p>Her precious ship was there with her again. She closed her eyes to stop the tears that were threatening to spill and listened to the quiet song humming in her mind that was coming from the sleeping time machine. She was never, <em> ever </em> going to be separated from her like that again, the Doctor promised herself. Ten months. Ten long months apart. </p><p>When she got a grip on her feelings she turned back to her saviours who were still standing at the top of the stairs, giving her and the TARDIS space to have their moment.</p><p>She flashed a smile at them.</p><p>“Rose Tyler, Captain Jack Harkness, gold star for rescuing.”</p><p>“Told your friends if you ever need help, I'd be there” Jack said as he skipped down the stairs.</p><p>“Wakey-wakey” The Doctor said as she pushed and pulled buttons around the control panel and the whole room lit up as the sweet buzzing of the Time rotor filled it with life “Hey! Nice nap? Thanks for waiting for me.”</p><p>“Hello, Beautiful!” Jack greeted the TARDIS.</p><p>“Jack, could you stop flirting with my ship?”</p><p>“Can’t do that, sorry Doctor, she's a pretty one” he had the cheek to wink at her and it earned him a happy buzz from the ship before he ran around in the console room “So, which way's my room?”</p><p>“Jack, you don't have a room. You've never had a room” and now that the danger had passed, they were back to the bickering, the way they always were. She glanced up to see Rose, who had been awfully quiet ever since they had landed, slowly descending the stairs while taking in everything around her before finally reaching out and carefully touching the control panel.</p><p>“I had a suite with its own cocktail lounge” Jack insisted as the Doctor frowned, an uneasy feeling settling in her chest. Without thinking she stepped to one of the outlets and grabbed Jack’s old clothes that the TARDIS had already gathered for him and pushed it in his arms then turning back to Rose. She had missed the soft look that Jack gave her for keeping his old belongings before turning his head in the same direction. His eyes lit up with understanding.</p><p>“I’ll find that suite” he whispered to the Doctor before giving her arm a reassuring squeeze and disappearing in the corridor. </p><p>The Doctor braced herself before going to Rose's side.</p><p>“Hey” she said with a soft voice and flashed her a smile.</p><p>“Hey” Rose greeted her back. Then an unsettling silence fell on them. The Doctor desperately tried to come up with something to say, to avail. Oh, why was this regeneration so socially awkward? Why did it have to be so uncomfortable between them?</p><p>“You’ve redecorated” Rose spoke up. It was more of a statement than a question.</p><p>“Yeah” the Doctor agreed with her nonetheless. Rose's tone was neutral and the Doctor couldn't decide if she was happy or sad about it. After all, this was not the TARDIS and she was not the Doctor that she had seen the last time. </p><p>“You don’t like it?” she heard herself asking but she wasn't talking about the TARDIS, not really. </p><p>“No! I mean yes! I do” Rose exclaimed before nervously biting her bottom lip, as if trying to organize her thoughts. Then quietly added “She’s… she’s beautiful. Just like you are.”</p><p>The Doctor stared at her dumbly before the words registered. </p><p>"You think so?" she couldn't stop her face from lighting up.</p><p>"Yeah, this regeneration, 'looks great. You look beautiful."</p><p>The Doctor almost jumped in delight. Rose Tyler thought she was pretty, <em> no</em>, beautiful even!</p><p>"Am I beautiful? I was never called beautiful before! It's a nice change. Not that I didn't enjoy being called handsome, mind you, but I like being beautiful. Not as beautiful as you are Rose Tyler, of course. Am I ranting? I am ranting, I have to stop it" focusing again, she turned back to the blonde human "You really don't mind it? The face change?"</p><p>"Doctor, I've seen ya regenerate before. Didn't change a thing for me" Rose told her honestly and blushed at her own words.</p><p>Oh... of course. The way Rose was looking at this new face, pupils blown, a soft rosy tint painting her cheeks, her fidgeting. How could she have missed it? Rose still fancied her and the knowledge and relief that she didn’t know she needed made her almost erupt in a gleeful laughter. </p><p>Before she could think better of it, she grabbed Rose and pulled her in a hug, holding onto her tightly. She could feel Rose’s arms sneaking around her neck and the Doctor spun them around in delight that almost made them fall. Oh, she was too short for things like that this time around but the height difference didn’t stop her from burying her nose in those golden locks and inhaling the familiar, sweet scent. </p><p>She felt Rose's arms tightening around her almost painfully and she returned it with the same force. The closeness between them just didn't feel enough and yet, the warmth radiating on her skin, the soft hair that was tickling her face and the slow, steady chest that pressed onto hers with each breath was so much, too much, almost intoxicating.</p><p>“I’ve missed you” she confessed before she could stop herself “I’ve missed you so much. More than I could ever tell you. More than I would admit to myself.” </p><p>Rose hid her face in the crook of her neck and the Time Lord shuddered at the contact. She just fit so perfectly there, even with this body.</p><p>“I’ve missed you too” Rose's voice was wet and sounded dangerously close to crying. The thought washed over the Doctor like a bucket of ice cold water. Between the adrenalin of breaking out from that prison and the happiness of having her back, she had never stopped to consider the circumstances of Rose's appearance. She was selfish when it came to her, even now, several bodies and billions of years later.</p><p>It took all of the Doctor's willpower to lean back and look at the beautiful woman in front of her. Her fears were confirmed when she saw the unshed tears in those big, hazel eyes and there was a terrible feeling that started to grow in her hearts. There was a question, a question that she tried to avoid, that she despised but needed to ask. </p><p>“Rose, I’m so, <em> so </em> sorry but I need to know. You were sealed off in an alternative universe. I left you with the human version of myself, safe and locked away. What happened?” somehow she managed to ask, almost choking on the words.</p><p>Rose smiled but it was almost bitter, like she had expected this question sooner or later. Then, in a soft, small voice, she spoke up “John, the other you, he…” she hesitated. She bit her lip and more tears gathered in her eyes as the moments ticked by and the Doctor hated every second of it. It felt like an eternity before Rose seemed to gather herself “The day you left me on that beach, I… I understood your reasons. I was young, naive and too much in love to notice that I was too small in an infinitely big universe. I was a human and you were a Time Lord. Just wasn’t meant to work out for us.”</p><p>“Rose” The Doctor started but Rose cut her off.</p><p>“I never stopped loving ya, ya know? Just... doesn’t work like that. But he was you, sorta you and I had to give him a chance. We fell in love and three years later we got married. Mom was bailing at the wedding, you would've loved it. They drove each other up the wall, mom and John, but just like she did with you, she eventually learnt to love 'im.”</p><p>The Doctor let out a chuckle but it was weak. Despite all the quarrels and insults they threw at each other, deep down she always knew that Jackie cared for her.</p><p>“We went on adventures" Rose continued “discovered the world. John got a job at Torchwood to make sure they didn’t take the wrong path again. I got my A-levels and majored in Physics” she let out a sad chuckle at that, like if it was something ridiculous “Could you believe it? Me at a university?”</p><p>“Of course, I can. You always were brilliant” The Doctor scoffed and at her words, the crocodile tears started to run down on Rose’s cheeks.</p><p>“When the technology got advanced enough we took trips ‘round the Solar system, then the Milky Way. Never got kids though, just wasn’t our thing. I had Tony’s, my nephew to babysit for that. Dad died at seventy-four and not long after mom followed 'im” Rose sniffed loudly “We kept on travelling for a few years but John's health couldn't take the physical burden anymore. We spent quiet years together after that. He died a little after turning ninety-two, with that daft smile on his face.”</p><p>“Rose, I'm so sorry. I didn't know” the Doctor apologized desperately when she couldn't bear it anymore. </p><p>Rose shook her head “There's no need. It was worth it for me. John and I, we lived a happy, long life, ya know?”</p><p>“I know” the Doctor reassured her quietly and rubbed her arm to offer some comfort “I know you made him the happiest man on earth.”</p><p>Rose wiped away her tears. There was grief in that pool of emotions in her eyes but there was also acceptance and love.</p><p>“I travelled a bit after his death, stayed for a few decades or so. Waited ‘till Tony passed away then returned to this universe.”</p><p>Rose paused to look at The Doctor, as if she was waiting for some kind of reaction. The Time Lord stared at her dumbly before she did the mental calculation. And it <em> finally </em> clicked. “But you-”</p><p>“Look like I haven’t aged since that day on the beach? Yeah” Rose gave her a sad, almost tired smile like she had had this conversation a million times before “Took us almost a decade to catch on too, though John was quicker. 'Suppose Bad Wolf had a more lasting effect on me, least that's what John said.”</p><p>The Doctor was at a loss to what to say. She couldn't believe what she was hearing.</p><p>“Launched the dimension canon and came back looking for ya. You’ve got even more impossible to track down, know that?” Rose commented with a frown but there was no malice behind her words “Fifteen years without a sign!”</p><p>“It’s to make it more difficult for the ones that are not as friendly as you are” the Doctor commented with a weak smile.</p><p>Yeah” Rose agreed, the corners of her lips pulling upwards as well “‘Could've just stayed on Earth and waited for ya to turn up but was never the type.”</p><p>“<em>Nah</em>. You’re too jeopardy friendly for that” The Doctor agreed. They stared at each other for a moment before both of them let out a quiet giggle. Finally, this felt familiar. And how much she had missed it.</p><p>“Yeah,” Rose chuckled “not gonna say I got any better at that. Got in more trouble than I’d like to admit. ‘Suppose that got me in prison too. Then I met Jack and he told me you were in there and… the rest, ya know already.”</p><p>“Rose Tyler” The Doctor said, shaking her head with a soft smile “Look at you. Escaped from an inescapable prison, hopped multiple dimensions when it was completely locked and became immortal when you were a very mortal human being. Not what I thought of you when I first met you all those years ago in that basement. You don’t like the word ‘impossible’, do you?”</p><p>“ 'S not really my style” Rose commented cheekily and the Doctor let out a laugh “Quite right.”</p><p>A comfortable silence settled on them.</p><p>“How long has it been for you, Doctor? How old are you?” Rose asked carefully before pulling a face “Though I can’t really ask that now that ya look like a woman, yeah? ‘S impolite to ask a lady her age.”</p><p>But the joke flew over the Doctor. She could feel as her smile fell and Rose noticed it as well.</p><p>“Very long” the Time Lord confessed, almost barely above a whisper “So long I almost forgot who I was."</p><p>The Doctor stepped away and sat on one of the octagonal stairs “It’s been a tough few decades. I'm not who I thought I was, Rose. What I always knew to be the story of my life... it isn't true. I wasn't born on Gallifrey. Where I'm from, all the lives I've lived, some of that has been hidden from me, and I don't even know how much.”</p><p>Rose quietly sat next to her.</p><p>“While I was locked away in that prison, all I kept thinking was… If I'm not who I thought I was, then who am I?”</p><p>“You're the Doctor” Rose interrupted her, taking her hands into hers and squeezed them. The Doctor was amazed by the determination in her voice. Rose always had so much faith in her. But she was never worthy of any of it.</p><p>Meeting the uncertainty in the Doctor's eyes, Rose continued “Doctor, you’ve just praised me for all the amazing things I’ve done, despite being just a shop assistant from the Estate.”</p><p>“Oi, I’ve never measured you based on that!” the Doctor protested heatedly.</p><p>“And I never measured you by being born on Gallifrey or not'' Rose explained and shook her head “Where you came from doesn’t defy you. ‘S a part of you but ‘s not who you are. Your actions, s’what defines you. You’re the Doctor for me and you always will be, no matter what.”</p><p>“I’m still not the person you said goodbye to on that beach” the Doctor tried but her resolve was weak. Rose always had a way with words, could always see right through her, even when she was all leather and grief and anger. She could always make her see the best in herself. Because this tiny pink and yellow human shone brightly, brighter than the Sun and this old Time Lord was drawn to her like a moth drawn to the flames, basking in her warmth. </p><p>Rose nodded with understanding "S'okay. I'm not the person who you said goodbye to either. We changed. But, maybe, we could get to know each other again, yeah?"</p><p>The Doctor felt hope filling her. Rose wanted to get to know her. Rose wanted to stay. Here, with her. And suddenly, she realized that this time, there was nothing that could stop them. Not time nor space. She let out a hearty laugh at the thought. She hadn't felt this happy for years!</p><p>“Rose Tyler” the Doctor said as she cradled the other woman's face between her palms and pressed their foreheads together “I’m so glad that you’re back.”</p><p>“Me too” she didn’t need to look to know that Rose was smiling.</p><p>“<em>Finally</em>, you two got there!” Jack’s voice made them jump apart.</p><p>“Jack, how long ya’ve standing there?” Rose glared at him but her lips were suspiciously curling upwards.</p><p>“Best if you lovebirds don’t know that” Jack, already dressed and probably showered, winked at her before turning to the Doctor “So, where to now?”</p><p>“Right!” the Time Lord said as she jumped to her feet and offered her hand “How about it, Rose Tyler? Are you ready for more adventures?”</p><p>Rose laughed as she let herself be pulled up “Thought you’d never ask!”</p><p>“Alright then! Let’s go meet my fam!”</p>
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